11.30.2011

Happy last day of November everybody! I can't believe how quickly this year zoomed by! Only 25 more shopping days until Christmas (don't remind me)!

November was a fun month here at The Shabby Nest! It started off with my announcement that The Shabby Nest won Best Decorating Blog in the first annual Country Living Blue Ribbon Blogger awards! If you missed it, you can read all about that and my trip to New York for the awards ceremony here.

Via CountryLiving.com

Then I was really excited when I saw my face staring back at me from the pages of Country Living magazine!! (Now I can cross that off my bucket list - LOL!) You can read more about that here.

Another big event in November was my Living Room reveal!! You can read all about that here.

I shared with you all how I went about creating my Living Room accent wall (seen behind the sofa in the photo above) here.

Of course, what would a month on The Shabby Nest be without some tutorials?? This month I shared a couple of fun wall art ideas with you.

First was my Wallpaper Sample Art tutorial. You can read about that here.

And then I shared my Reindeer Silhouette Wall Art. You can read about that here.

And don't forget about Frugal Friday! Tons of great Frugal Inspiration linking up from around blogland each week. If you missed any of the amazing links during the month of November you can find them here, here, here and here.

December is shaping up to be another amazing month!! We are busy painting the remaining two bedrooms in the house, and I'm hoping to give myself the gift of finishing up the Princess' room this month....and getting the master well on its way. And, of course, what would December be without Christmas decorations?? Can't wait to share those!! Hope you'll all join me for a Holly Jolly December here at The Shabby Nest!! My readers rock!!

Finally, the winners of the Elmer's Glue gift pack giveaway are Janet and Heidi at Decor & More!

And the winner of the GiGi's Petals gift card giveaway is Pam Ballard!

Congratulations ladies!! Please contact me so we can set you up with your prizes!

11.29.2011

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a silhouette fanatic. I think I may have talked about it a bit here and there on the old blog. ;-) So given that it's the jolliest season of the year, I thought it would be fun to create a reindeer silhouette. And due to the popularity of deer heads in decor right now, the fact that a reindeer and a deer look virtually identical, means that this little bit of holiday goodness can easily translate to year-round decor.

My holiday palette this year is basically silver, white, green and black. So the colors I chose for my reindeer might not look holiday-ish to you...but that's all the better if you want to use it year round...and keep in mind that it can be translated to any colors you wish.

To make my reindeer art you will need:

an unpainted, stretched canvas (available at virtually any craft store)

After I got the silhouette looking the way I wanted it to look, I cut it out. Then simply traced it on the backing of my adhesive vinyl and cut it out again.

I had previously painted my canvas with a graphic design...and you could do this too...or simply paint it a solid color. (which, in retrospect, would probably work better with the silhouette - live and learn, right?)

Then just stick that cute reindeer right on there. That's it.

Of course, you could also do what I did with my kiddos silhoeuttes and purchase an empty frame...then stick the silhouette onto the glass.

That way you can switch out the backing paper to match your whims. A Christmas print during the holidays...a different pattern in the spring. Etc. As a matter of fact, I might do this myself. :-)

11.28.2011

Just wanted to pop in and let you all know about a fabulous Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal from one of my affiliates - Silhouette - that is going on until tonight at midnight!

Right now everything in the Silhouette online store (except the new CAMEO, subscriptions, download cards, and gift cards) is 30% off! BUT if you enter the discount SHABBY...you will actually receive 40% off instead! (except on those items previously noted)

You can also receive a nice discount on the new CAMEO - which is selling for $249.99 - by using the code SHABBY, but you won't find the CAMEO on the regular page, only on the secret Black Friday page located here. But hurry because they are expecting the CAMEO to sell out!
And finally, all shapes are HALF OFF!

Whew! That's a lot of great deals...so hurry on over because the deals end tonight!!

This post is sponsored by Silhouette. The opinions expressed are my own.

11.24.2011

First of all, I want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers! I hope your tummies are full of turkey and that you all had a wonderful day celebrating all that we have to be thankful for. I am so grateful for my blessings, my beautiful family, a roof over our heads, food on our table. And I am grateful for all of you who come to visit here at The Shabby Nest.

First up, The Rooster and The Hen shared their beachy glam master bedroom makeover. I'm loving that DIY palette headboard/wall. Such a fun way to lend a lot of character to a room for a small investment!

Next, I am completely enamoured with the stencilled claw foot tub shared by Kammy's Korner. Makes me wish I had a tub to stencil. sigh.

Finally, I Craft with Love shared the most adorable book page Christmas Trees I've ever seen. I'm going to have to try my hand at these this year. Just too cute!

Now it's your turn...

You know "da rules"!

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.
2. Please link back the Shabby Nest (you can use the pretty new button on my side bar to make it easy.)
3. Please visit other participants and leave them comments! Help them feel "the love!" And don't forget to "like" your favorite posts so they can become the "FAN FAVORITE!"

11.23.2011

Happy Wednesday My Lovelies!! As I mentioned yesterday, today I have another giveaway to be thankful for during this Thanksgiving Week! This giveaway is from one of my fabulous sponsors, GiGis Petals.

Have you heard of GiGi's Petals? If not, please allow me to introduce this great site to you!

GiGis Petals is a new daily deals site with fabulous deals on handcrafted items from different sellers every day. They feature items perfect for just about anyone from you to your mother-in-law, to teachers, to your BFF, to your daughter...you get the idea.

There's something for everyone from jewelry to home decor, hair and clothing accessories, even adhesive vinyl! The best part is that almost every one of their sellers offers one of their items for free! Yep! You heard me right. Once they sell a certain number of their featured deals, at least one of the buyers gets their item for FREE! Not a bad deal, huh?

Today GiGis Petals is offering a $40 Target Gift Card to one lucky reader of The Shabby Nest just for checking them out and signing up for their emails.

You can enter to win this $40 Gift Card by simply leaving a comment on this post. Additional entries can be gained by doing the following (please leave a separate comment for each):

(1) Follow GiGis Petals on Facebook
(2) Sign up for their daily deals emails here
(3) Follow GiGis Petals on Twitter
(4) Go to their site and check out their daily deals - come back and let me know which one is your favorite!

P.S. And, here's what makes this deal even sweeter, by signing up fortheir emails you are entered in a chance to win ANOTHER Target GiftCard. They have an additional $50 Target Gift Card (ends Dec. 1st) tobe given away - through their site (not through The Shabby Nest) - to someone signed up for their daily deals emails!

P.P.S. One other sweet deal you might want to know about - right nowthey're giving away 6 headbands and 3 necklaces on their site withfree shipping. All you have to do to enter to win one of these is letthem know which one you prefer through this link.

Giveaway is open until Friday, November 25 at 11:59 MST. Good luck!!

This post was sponsored by Gigi's Petals. The opinions expressed are my own.

11.22.2011

It's Thanksgiving week...so I'm giving you, my readers, a couple of fun reasons to be thankful: Two giveaways in Two days. Today's giveaway (offered by Elmer's) is at the end of this post...and tomorrow I have a sponsor giveaway to share. Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm constantly on the look out for ways to beautify the home without breaking the bank. And that is definitely true when it comes to wall art. The key is, however, to make it look like you spent some money. Caviar decorating on a tuna fish budget, I like to call it.

So when it comes to wall art, creativity is key. And that's where wallpaper comes in...wallpaper samples to be precise. Here's what I did with some free Anthropologie wallpaper samples, a frame that I already had, and some crafting products provided to me by Elmer's Glue.

First I found a combination of papers that was pleasing to my eye. (I was going for a simple, uncluttered look, so I chose to use just four samples, but you could get creative and use many more- in all different sizes.)

Then I used my X-ACTO knife to cut the backing paper to size. After finding an arrangement that I liked, I used the Elmer's Tacky Glue to adhere them to a foam board backing, and popped it into the frame. Seriously easy.

The thing I like about this project (besides its simplicity) is that the end result doesn't look like it was crafted. It looks like it was purchased. It is interesting to look at, and it's one of a kind - so I won't see the same art in my neighbor's house.

Elmer's has created a fun 101 Uses for Inspired Users Guide that has tons of great - and very creative- ideas for things you can create with their products. There's even a great advent calendar idea that I think I'm going to try for the holidays. And today, Elmer's is giving away a craft pack to each of two lucky readers of The Shabby Nest. These would be a great jumping off point to create some amazing holiday gifts or decor.

The packs include:

·Foam Board

·Foam Tri-Fold Display Board

·Mini Bi-Fold Foam Board

·CraftBond Extra Strength Glue Stick

·X-ACTO Gripster Knife

·CraftBond Tacky Glue

If you'd like a chance to win one of these craft packs, just leave a comment on this post. Easy-Peasy. Happy Thanksgiving!!

For more crafting fun, you can learn more about what Elmer's has to offer at Elmers.com, and you can also find Elmer's on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: Elmer's provided me with the supplies I used to create this art. The opinions expressed were entirely my own.

11.17.2011

Welcome to another installment of the Frugal Friday linky party!! (applause applause)

I'm so glad you all take the time out of your busy lives to come visit and link up each week! I think we all benefit when we share with one another and I'm so glad to have the opportunity to host this exchange!

Last week's fan favorite was posted by Liz Marie Blog (again...she's very popular with you all!) She shared her DIY deer head sculpture...I LOVE this idea!!

Now on to my Frugal Round-up...

First up, It's Overflowing shared her lovely Thanksgiving Tablescape. I adore the addition of the antlers, and I'm in looove with the peacock feathers.

Finally, while we're on the subject of bathrooms, Living Beautifully DIY shared her be.au.ti.ful master bath reno. I could live in that bathtub, it's so pretty! Truly a job well done.

Now it's your turn!

You know "da rules"...

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.
2. Please link back the Shabby Nest (you can use the pretty new button on my side bar to make it easy.)
3. Please visit other participants and leave them comments! Help them feel "the love!" And don't forget to "like" your favorite posts so they can become the "FAN FAVORITE!"

This post is sponsored by Tempur-Pedic, the brand millions of owners trust to deliver their best night’s sleep every night. Enjoy our Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer now and give the gift of custom comfort to someone you love.

With only a week until Thanksgiving, the holiday season is truly upon us. And it is absolutely, hands-down, my favorite time of the year. I absolutely love almost every minute from mid-November until New Year's Day. And the things that make it such a special time of the year for me are all of the little traditions that our family has to celebrate the season. Each and every tradition is a little comfort that makes the season memorable and helps my family bond with one another.

Starting at the beginning of November, I set a Gratitude Journal and pen out on the kitchen table.

And throughout the month, each member of the family takes time to write things they are thankful for within its pages. Even my littlest guy finds a way to express his gratitude with pictures. The Journal is a wonderful tradition for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is the fact that it helps my family focus on all of the blessings in our life, and that it creates a lasting snapshot of a special moment in time.

Another of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is the Thankful Tree. A few branches propped in a planter become a wonderful way for our family to express thankfulness as we write things we are grateful for on paper leaves and hang them from the twigs.

Once that Thanksgiving turkey is gobbled up (yes, pun intended), the Christmas season officially begins. And with it, all of those traditions that are truly the little comforts of the season as they remind me of my own childhood and create magical memories for my kiddos.

During the season, I make sure there is always a cozy quilt (or two) handy for family members to snuggle in while we enjoy steaming cups of hot chocolate. Holiday music plays almost constantly, and you're likely to find a scented candle burning to make the whole house smell deliciously like Christmas.

A basket filled with children's Christmas books sits out during the entire month, and each day the kiddos and I snuggle together and enjoy one of the stories.

Each and every tradition brings my family closer together, helps us celebrate the season, and fills our home with the little comforts of the holidays.

How about you? What are your little holiday comforts? What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of Tempur-Pedic's Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

11.16.2011

While I was in the process of looking for area rugs to use in my Living Room Design, I received a catalog in the mail from FLOR. I was familiar with FLOR Carpet Tiles, but when I opened the catalog, I was smitten with their new designs. For those that are not familiar with FLOR, it is an "innovative system of carpet squares that you assemble to create custom rugs, runners or [even] wall-to-wall designs."

This is the picture (via FLOR.com) that first caught my eye and made me want to see what FLOR had to offer.

I was not only impressed by their designs, but I liked the idea that I could put the patterns together myself to create my own unique, custom rug.

I had a hard time narrowing down my choices, but I finally decided on Lasting Grateness in black. I liked the bold, graphic pattern. (That, and I couldn't quite convince the Hubby that the zebra print would look good in the room. Lol!)

When the box arrived with my tiles, I pulled them out and plopped them on the ground in the living room. That's when the fun began. Putting the rug together was a bit like putting a puzzle together. (Note: the tiles are not meant to fit together in a pattern...they are meant to be random.)

Boy 3 and I had a good time working together to decide where each square should go. Once we finally decided on the right configuration for the tiles (don't I look happy?)...

I used the FLOR dots to attach the tiles to one another. And that was it!

One of the great things about this rug - especially for a family with little kids - is the fact that if one of the tiles gets stained or otherwise destroyed, just that tile can be replaced instead of having to replace an entire rug. In addition, FLOR tiles are environmentally friendly and can even be recycled once they have outlived their usefulness.

I'm really happy with my FLOR custom rug. And I love the graphic punch it adds to the room!

Disclosure: FLOR provided me with my rug in exchange for this review, but I did not receive monetary compensation. All opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own. Any quotes are taken directly from the FLOR website.

11.14.2011

First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for your very enthusiastic and sweet comments about my living room. I couldn't be more thrilled that you like it so much!

Now about that accent wall. That back wall is our entrance wall. And it is large. And it was BORING. So I wanted to do something special that would set it apart from the rest of the room, and give it visual appeal.

I liked the idea of wallpaper, but of course, that wasn't in the budget.

So I decided to do something else. Something different. And no, I DIDN'T stencil the wall. I DREW on it. Yep, DREW on it. With a magic marker. My husband may have had a slight heart attack when I told him my plan. And I'm not sure he entirely trusted me even after I started the process...but thankfully, he LOVES the finished product. (whew!)

Here's how I did it...

The pattern I used was based on a fabric that I had seen while the Princess and I were out shopping for fabrics for her bedroom. I just sketched the pattern on a receipt, and filed it away for this very purpose.

1. The first thing I did was create a template. I wanted the design to be large scale, so I took a piece of 8 1/2 by 11 inch cardstock, and sketched it out using a bowl to make the curved sections. Once I had the design looking the way I wanted, I cut it out.

2. Then began the fun (or the lunacy depending on how you look at it.)

I traced that template on the wall with a pencil 231 times. Yes really... I counted. The pattern fit precisely 21 times across the width of the wall and 11 times down the length. And that was really due more to good luck than to good planning (but we'll pretend it was good planning, shall we?)

3. I have had people ask me how I kept the pattern level. Well, the trick there was to trace the top row first. I kept it level with the ceiling and then I left about 1/2 inch between the first row and the second and so on. That's it. My trick. But since, I realized not all walls are completely level, I was able to compensate a bit if I needed to by simply moving the pattern up a tiny bit or down a tiny bit as I went.

4. Once I had the entire wall done in pencil, I went back over the whole thing - freehand- using paint pens.

I had originally hoped to find plain gray paint pens, and perhaps they exist, but I couldn't find any. So I finally settled on using metallic silver. And I'm so glad that I did! The whole wall came alive this way. Depending on the time of day, and the angle at which the wall is viewed, the pattern goes from silver, to white, to charcoal gray. It's mesmerizing.

The whole project took me about 8 hours from start to finish. But I did it over a couple of days, and I quite enjoyed it actually. (Once I got that top row done, that is. I'm not very tall, and even standing on that bar stool, it was a stretch to get it done.) But it wall worth it, because I couldn't be happier with the end result!!